Backroads of B.C. – Liz Bryan’s “Circle of Silver” – June 2026

Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park, Blanket Creek Provincial Park, Upper Arrow Lake, New Denver, Sandon, Kaslo

Hello readers. I was supposed to be on a lovely one-month trip to Ireland this June/July, but I very sadly had to cancel the trip because of a leg injury (a 110 km long-distance walk on the Kerry Way was part of my itinerary). So, after moping about that, and then dealing with a bad flu (Covid?) for two weeks, I decided to set up my Toyota Highlander camper and hit the road to cheer myself up. I took Liz Bryan’s wonderful book, “Country Roads of British Columbia, Exploring the Interior” off of the shelf and decided to begin with her “Circle of Silver” chapter. I had done part of her route years before on a camping trip with Sophie and Daniel and we had loved visiting the historic mining town of Kaslo, the Cody caves, and Ainsworth hot springs. It was worth a revisit!

The drive on Highway 1 out of Vancouver, and then up the Coquihalla went well – it felt good to be on the road again! But, by the time I arrived at Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park, one of my brand-new tires was more than half flat, and another was low on air. A kind campground neighbour helped me to change the flat tire (it was impossible for me to undo the lug nuts!) and after that was dealt with I resolved to enjoy the rest of my afternoon and evening at a new-to-me campground. I was lucky to get a great FCFS site – large, private, and quiet, that was ringed with the green of aspens and wild rose – and I had my own little trail, decorated with wildflowers, that led from my site down to the lake shore.

I explored the day use area, with its fishing dock, mooring dock, picnic area, and lake views,

and then I walked for a ways along the lakeside trail to enjoy more water views,

and more pretty wildflowers including blue flax, orange hawkweed, purple asters, and the golden-yellow treasure that is the Columbia lily.

Back in camp, I cooked up a simple dinner, read for a while, and enjoyed the presence of a very cute squirrel, and later a very cute chipmunk, who came by to visit. Then, I walked again by the lakeshore, close to dusk, as fishermen tried their luck once more, and where the call of a loon was yet another blessing and reward for having roused myself to make the journey to lovely Lac Le Jeune.

The following morning, I took the quiet and scenic back road in from Lac Le Jeune to Kamploops and arrived at a Toyota service centre just as they were opening. Three hours later, my four tires all had new valve stems, and I had enjoyed the comfortable lounge with its free coffee and wifi with not too much impatience. Then, I was back on the road, flying along on Highway 1, east to the Shuswap region with its many picturesque lakes.

I turned south on Highway 23, just before Revelstoke, to arrive a short time later at the Blanket Creek Provincial Park where again I was lucky to get a large, quiet, and private campsite. Then, I explored this park which sits on the shore of Upper Arrow Lake. Trails led to Sutherland Falls, a heritage farm site, beach access points, and a warm water lagoon that was purpose-built for swimming.

The rain came and went in sweeps throughout the afternoon and early evening, and I returned to the lakeshore often, hopeful that the clouds and mist would cease clinging so stubbornly to the surrounding mountains’ sides and peaks.

And, sure enough, for a brief time the clouds blew away to reveal a few of the snow-dappled peaks to the southeast,

and then later coalesced again, near dusk, to create this lovely blue symphony of mountains, lake, and sky.

The following morning I woke early, cooked up breakfast and coffee, and made my way south to Shelter Bay to catch the ferry across Upper Arrow Lake to Galena Bay. It was a bright morning and the ferry crossing was very fun, with lake, mountain, and forest views all around.

We landed in Galena Bay, and I headed south on H 23, electing not to stop for a soak at either Halcyon or Nakusp Hot Springs, though I know that they are both wonderful from previous visits! I did make a quick stop at beautiful Ione Falls,

and then I transitioned to Highway 6 east at Nakusp to journey up and across the Valhalla Mountains to the “Silvery Slocan”. In the early 1890s, and into the middle of the 20th century, this was an area of rich silver mines and towns that grew with energy and optimism during boom times, and then shrank when the price of silver dropped, or the mines didn’t pan out, or when catastrophes like fires and floods devastated homes, opportunities, and dreams. What remains on this route, for today’s traveller, are the stunning vistas and many fascinating historical sites that are remnants of our province’s early pioneering and industrial history. Highway 6 climbed up mountain curves to lovely Summit Lake,

and then it continued along on the east side of Slocan Lake to the tiny town of New Denver which was once a busy mining town filled with saloons, hotels, and mercantiles. Today, its remaining historic buildings, built in the late 1890s, are picturesque and well-maintained, and the old Bank of Montreal houses a fine museum that chronicles the booms and busts and operations of the local silver mines and associated enterprises. It was Canada Day, and very quiet in town, and I was drawn towards a small park at the corner of 6th and Eldorado Avenues where a brisk wind showed off our Canadian flag and a short trail led down to the rocky shore of Slocan Lake where that same wind was blowing strong and cold down the narrow lake-filled valley.

New Denver is also of historical importance to B.C. and to Canada as it was one of the sites of an internment camp for Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. Fears of a West Coast attack by the Japanese in 1941 led to the required registration of 23,512 persons of Japanese descent in Canada with the R.C.M.P., and by November of 1942, over 22,000 Japanese Canadians were relocated, and of that number over 20,000 were interned in camps, many in the B.C. interior. The Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, with its exceptional Heiwa Teien Peace Garden, is dedicated to preserving the history of those Japanese Canadians who were interned for the duration of the war.

The Kyowakai Hall, built in 1943 by Nikkei carpenters, was a Buddhist Hall and a meeting place for the Kyowakai (“working together peacefully”) society. Now, it houses exhibits which chronicle the history of the internment here of Japanese Canadians who were dispossessed of their homes, businesses, and fishing boats, and forced to live here until the end of the war in 1949.

It is an excellent museum that moved me, and is an important reminder to all of how civil liberties can be severely eroded during times of war.

From New Denver, I transitioned to Highway 31A which led me upwards along the side of a very steep narrow valley to my next stop at Sandon, a tiny ghost town which was, amazingly, the largest town north of San Francisco for a time. Rich deposits of galena ore – a mixture of silver and lead – were discovered here in 1891 by two prospectors, Eli Carpenter and Jack Seaton, and the rush was on. Miners came from all over to stake their claims and the town grew quickly to include a city hall, opera house, churches, a hospital and school, hotels and many many saloons. Two railway lines were established to move the ore and newly-built wagon roads facilitated travel to the area. But, positioned as it was below steep mountain slopes and at the junction of two fast-flowing creeks, the town suffered much over its sixty year history including fires, floods, avalanches, and downturns when the price of silver was low. Then, Sandon was almost completely obliterated by a massive flood in 1955 when Carpenter Creek “in roaring spring flood” (as described by Liz Bryan) crushed buildings and washed away most of the town. Now, just a few original buildings remain, and there is a motley assortment of things on site, but the Sandon Historical Society has done an amazing and impressive job of preserving, chronicling, and presenting the history of this town and the surrounding area. In the photos below are Carpenter Creek, and the old city hall, built in 1900, which now houses the Prospector’s Pick which is part museum, part gift shop, and part visitors centre.

There are a huge number of old vehicles and machinery on site, including almost twenty vintage Brill trolley buses that reside here in the hopes of possibly one day being restored. They come from multiple Canadian cities, and many are from Vancouver with their route names still visible like “Main Street”, “Fraser”, and, fittingly, “Kingsway to Slocan”. There is also a locomotive, #6947, built in 1908 for the CPR, which worked here in Sandon in the Kooteney Division from 1926-1928. I particularly liked a restored and very groovy teal-green 1957 Chevrolet 2 door station wagon, and the mottled pastel pinks and blues of an old Kenworth dump truck.

I visited the Sandon Museum which is housed in the Slocan Mercantile Block. Originally a general store, it was built in 1900 and was the only building in Sandon ever to be constructed out of brick. Interned Japanese Canadians were housed here from 1942-1949. The museum is filled with historical objects and photos, most of which are thoroughly described. I was very impressed with the amount of work and care that has gone into the exhibits here.

As well as the main floor, and a mezzanine, a lower floor featured more exhibits including tools, machinery, and a construction of a typical miner’s shack.

From its earliest days as a city, Sandon was equipped with hydroelectric power and the Silversmith Power and Light station, built in 1897, is still in operation today and can be toured for free or a donation. It provides electricity to the residents of Sandon and New Denver, and it has the distinction of being Canada’s oldest continually-operating power plant.

I spent perhaps almost three hours in Sandon, and was very happy to have explored and learned about this town and its mining history. Because I was a teacher, I’ll leave you with a final photo from the museum, “The Last Class to Attend Sandon School, Grades 1 to 4, 1954”, and because I can’t resist flowers, a few photos from those found by the creek and on the hillside at Sandon.

Time to get back on the road! Highway 31A continued to climb to a summit at 1000 metres where a rest stop bordered pretty Fish Lake. There, this mama duck had nine dutiful offspring that followed her in formation away from my gentle approach, just in case!

Shortly after the summit, the road followed the curves of the rushing Kaslo River down down down towards the town of Kaslo, Kootenay Lake, and the tall mountain peaks of the Selkirk range.

The historic mining town of Kaslo is well-remembered from a former trip, and I was looking forward to reacquainting myself with its lovely old buildings and scenic location on the shores of Kootenay Lake, with mountain views all around. And, I am now looking forward to sharing that with you in my next post as I continue on my “Circle of Silver Tour.” Thank you for reading!